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Thursday, September 19, 2013

The Devils lost 5-3 to the New York Islanders 5-3 in tonight's preseason game at Prudential Center.

Left wing Ryane Clowe left after playing only three shifts in the first period with what the Devils are calling a "lower-body injury" and won't return.

Clowe took a hit from Isles defenseman Mike Dalhuisen only 1:10 into the game was was slow to get up afterward. He played two more shifts before leaving for the locker room.

THIRD PERIODAs planned, rookie Scott Wedgewood replaced Martin Brodeur (four goals, 13 shots) in net for the Devils to begin the third period.

After Isles goaltender Kevin Poulin made good saves on Andrei Loktionov and Travis Zajac in front to keep it a 4-3 game, Peter Regin put the Isles up by two with his breakaway goal at 3:45. Rookie defenseman Eric Gelinas misplay at the blue line, allowed Regin to walk in around him and lift a backhand over Wedgewood's catching glove.

Devils left wing Krys Barch and Isles left wing Brett Gallant fought for the third time of the night at 12:41. Barch ended the fight by dropping Gallant with a solid right-handed upper cut. Because it was the third fight of the night for both, that carries an automatic game misconduct.

SECOND PERIODDefenseman Marek Zidlicky scored 2:37 into the second period to cut the Devils' deficit to 4-2. Bryce Salvador fed Zidlicky for a straight on point shot through traffic that beat goaltender Kevin Poulin.

Rookie defenseman Jon Merrill cut it to 4-3 with his goal at 3:50. Merrill looked to be trying to set up Reid Boucher in front with a wrist shot/pass from the left point, but it got past a shaky Poulin.

Merilll has a goal and an assist in his first NHL preseason game. Rookie defenseman Eric Gelinas fed Merrill for his shot and has two assists tonight.

FIRST PERIODAnders Lee gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal 3:31 into the game. With Krys Barch in the box for tripping, Lee took a cross-ice pass from Brock Nelson and beat Martin Brodeur to the stick (short) side with a shot from the left circle.

Josh Bailey made it 2-0 with a shorthanded goal at 6:55. With Joe Diamond in the box for the Islanders for tripping Ryan Carter, Devils defenseman Marek Zidlicky couldn't get the puck deep from the left point at the Islanders' blue line and turned the puck over, leading to a shorthanded 2-on-1. Kyle Okposo carried in the right wing and fed Bailey in the slot for the shot past Brodeur.

The Devils got on the board with a power-play deflection by Rostislav Olesz at 8:05. Eric Gelinas fed Jon Merrill for a left point wrist shot that Olesz, who was stationed in front, deflected between goaltender Kevin Poulin's pads.

Barch and Brett Gallant dropped the gloves off the ensuing faceoff.

Bailey struck for another shorthanded goal with 1:55 to go in the first period to make it 3-1. Brodeur made a right pad save on Bailey's shot from the right circle and Zidlicky tried to clear the rebound away in front, but banked it into the net off Merrill.

Then, former Devil Eric Boulton, who was serving a tripping penalty on Brodeur when Bailey scored, exited the box and beat Brodeur low to the stick side on a breakaway to make it 4-1 with 25.6 seconds left in the first. Lee sprung Boulton on the breakaway with the outlet pass, sending him in behind rookie defenseman Damon Severson.

The Devils outshot the Islanders, 10-8, in the first period. They were 1-for-4 on the power play.

Brodeur is making his first appearance of the preseason and is slated to play the first period. Rookie Scott Wedgewood will play the remainder of the game. It will be Wedgewood's first NHL preseason game.

Kevin Poulin is slated to play the full game in net for the Islanders.

Right wing Damien Brunner (wearing No. 12) is playing in his first preseason game with the Devils after joining the team Monday on a training camp tryout. He'll skate on a line with left wing Rostislav Olesz and center Travis Zajac.

In addition, rookie defensemen Jon Merrill, 21, and Damon Severson, 19, are playing in their first NHL preseason games.

Zajac and defenseman Andy Greene are wearing the alternate captains' A's tonight. Captain Bryce Salvador is also in uniform.

The Devils defeated the Rangers, 2-1, in their preseason opener on Monday.

About

TOM GULITTI has covered the New Jersey Devils for The Record since 2002. Prior to that, he covered the New York Rangers for four years. Gulitti joined The Record in 1998 after six years at The North Jersey Herald News. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric-Literature.